*Can the plagues of Egypt be explained by natural phenomena?
*How was David able to defeat Goliath?
*What was Job's disease?
*Could a physical ailment have caused Esau to sell his birthright?
*Was Zaccheus a dwarf?
Reading this book will give you the answers (or the author's suppositions) to these and other questions you may have about diseases and medical conditions in the Bible. You will probably agree with some of his educated guesses and disagree with others (I did). However, you will certainly learn more about the diseases of Bible times, the preventive measures that were used, and how and if the same illnesses persist today. I especially enjoyed the section on public health which highlighted how many of requirements of the Mosaic Law had to do with maintaining health and preventing disease. As the author says:
"We must constantly be on guard for new epidemics using lessons we've learned from past challenges. To know the lessons means that we must know the history of the diseases and the people who contended with these disorders. ....There is not a better primer for this task than the Bible and the lessons it attempts to teach."
VERDICT: 4 STARS. In places many readers will find this book a bit too technical, but it is well worth reading and would make an excellent resource for your church library.
I received a copy of this book from the author. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, leave a comment on this post and I will find out for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment